A week to remember Elvis kicks-off Saturday

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A week to remember Elvis kicks-off Saturday

(CNN) — A combination of hard work, raw talent and destiny took an impoverished Elvis Presley from a two-bedroom Tupelo, Mississippi, home, transformed him into a international icon and left his legacy at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

Graceland is the second-most-visited home in the United States after the White House. But Presley, who never forgot his humble beginnings, is also celebrated in Tupelo, where the Elvis Presley Birthplace Museum opened in 1992. The museum draws from 75,000 to 80,000 people each year to its exhibits, the house where Elvis was born and the church where he first sang gospel music.

Tupelo will kick off this year’s Elvis Week with Fan Appreciation Day on August 10, and Ben Portsmouth, last year’s Elvis Ultimate Tribute Artist winner, will perform during the evening.

Elvis week continues at Graceland from August 11 to 17, with daily events including a Memphis music tour, Elvis movie screenings, memorial services and concerts.